"jmcquown" > wrote in message
. ..

>> I have some questions, and they're serious ones. Be careful. One or
>> more may be traps.
>>
> Oh goody, I love traps. You realize this isn't a test. It's Usenet and
> up
> for debate regardless. But I'll play.
>
>> 1) How's he supposed to support himself while he's learning English?
>>
> However he can.

Trap #1: If he worked illegally while he learned English, would that bother
you?



>> 2) Do different people require varying amounts of time to become
>> fluent?
>>
> Of course. Exposure to the culture and the language and asking questions
> when you don't understand helps a lot. Many people are afraid to do that
> for fear of looking stupid. Well of course if you don't know the language
> you are ignorant but not stupid. So ask questions. Get laughed at.
> Learn.


So, if an otherwise highly competent Mexican takes 2 years to get it right,
you think he should be on welfare until he's fluent? Or, go back to question
#1.




>> 3) Is there a certain age range during which it's a breeze for humans
>> to learn new languages? If the answer is "yes", can you tell me the
>> age range?
>
> Obviously the younger the better. But, to give an example of an "older"
> person, my father was about 50 and he picked up the language pretty
> quickly.
> And no, he didn't attend classes. He also gave each of us a translation
> book to help with common words and phrases. I believe there is a
> Spanish-english dictionary... in fact I still have one from when I took
> Spanish classes in the 70's. Oh, I have a Gaelic dictionary, too. If you
> want to talk about a really difficult language, that's it!

The optimum age is birth through 10. If middle-aged people pick it up
quickly, they may have a knack for language. Lots of people do not.

While we're discussing this, I have another question. Is it safe to assume
that if you managed that Wal Mart, you might move the butcher into a
position where he didn't need to interact with the public? A demotion, in
other words. He'd probably end up on the cleaning crew because pretty much
everyone else in the store has to speak to customers at some point.

If the answer is "yes", I need to know if you've written to your elected
slobs in Washington, and asked that the president also be demoted.